Spider Lilies
by light-blue-lilies
Summary: Its been a few months after the Aogori Tree raid and Eren still hasn't left Anteiku. Now with a new ghoul gang and more doves lurking about the once peaceful 20th Ward, less ghouls have been visiting the small coffee shop. With another slow day, Eren leaves the shop only to meet the warned gang, face to face.
There was no ring of the bell today.

Instead an eerie silence resonated throughout the cafe, only to be broken once in a while by a quiet sip of coffee. Eren sat silently by the counter, a cup of freshly brewed coffee in his hand. His eyepatch was slung across his face, hiding his left eye just in case it started to pulse. The tv above the counter was put to a minimum; The usually loud voice of the newscaster had turned into nothing but a quiet murmur. It was making him a bit sleepy.

Eren breathed in the aroma of the coffee. Admittedly, it wasn't as good as the Manager's but it was good enough for him to keep awake. He heard the door to the hallway open, revealing Mikasa. She peeked her head out to see Eren looking expectantly at her.

"No customers?"

He shook his head. "Not even a dove."

Ever since the Aogori Tree raid, more doves have been coming to the once peaceful 20th Ward, putting both humans and ghouls alike on edge. Unfortunately, due to this fact, Anteiku hasn't had a single customer for about a month, minimizing the usual staff of seven to two.

Mikasa let out a sigh and grabbed a cup from the rack. Filling her cup with the coffee Eren recently made, she took the stool next to him. There was a long pause of silence between the two of them. It soon returned to the silence of Eren's sips of coffee and the murmur of the tv. It continued on like this for a while.

 _Sip_

 _..._

 _Sip_

 _..._

 _Sip_

 _..._

It was driving Mikasa insane. She started to fiddle with the handle of the cup, tracing along the edge, rubbing her thumb over the smooth surface, practically anything to keep her preoccupied.

"What's wrong,"Eren asked bluntly, making Mikasa flinch. She continued fiddling with the handle, not daring to look up.

"Have you heard about the recent ghoul gang around here?"she questioned softly, barely audible to the human ear. Eren paused a bit before shaking his head.

"Can't say I have."

"Well,"Mikasa continued, looking towards the back counter,"they've been using the absence of ghouls and humans to their advantage and have been causing havoc around the ward. According to the news, they're a gang of S rated ghouls that go by the name of Survey Corps."

"And why does this concern me?"

Mikasa sat silent for a minute. "It's been only a few months after the raid Eren,"she said solemnly, her eyes growing a bit distant,"I don't want to loose you again."

Eren let out a hollow laugh."Mikasa, I've been through utter hell and back. I believe I can protect myself."

The short haired girl sighed silently.

"I know."

 _"I know..."_

Eren looked at her apathetically. Why does she always have to worry about him like a mother to a child? Letting out a silent sigh he leaned over the counter and dumped his cup into the sink. Standing up, he grabbed his coat and slung it over his shoulder.

"Well I'm going..."he announced nonchalantly. Mikasa nodded in response, her face still solemn. The bell let out a silent ring as the brunette walked out the door. Not even looking back, Eren walked into the cold, silent night Tokyo brought him.

Mikasa was still inside Anteiku with her still full coffee in her hands. She looked down at her reflection in the coffee.

"He's changed..."she murmured softly, her voice laced with sadness. 

~o~o~o~o~

Despite the warnings sent out by the CCG about not staying out late, Tokyo was busy as usual. The four intersecting crosswalks were still in use by the millions of people on their way home, work or anywhere else. Eren was in the midst of the crowd, walking to his small apartment not too far from here. By now, he had already put his jacket on for the cold was almost unbearable. He crossed the crosswalks and turned around a corner only to see _them._

Dark green hooded people were following him, each spread out so they didn't attract any attention. There hoods were low enough you couldn't see their faces, which peeved Eren a bit.

 _Why me..._ Eren thought bitterly and started walking at a faster pace. Unfortunately they all started to walk faster too. He silently cursed at this and started weaving in and out of the crowd. He said a few "Excuse me!" or "Pardon me." but no one seemed to actually care. He finally got to a part of town where there were barely anybody around. He found an empty alleyway and slipped into it as quickly as he could. Soon he heard the flurry of footsteps coming into the alley.

 _Seven..._ Eren counted.

He heard one of the members step out, the tallest because of the longer strides, before stopping right behind him.

"We would like to have a word with you, _Eyepatch_ ,"the man said, his eyes glinting through the shadow of his hood. Eren barely side glanced at him before whipping around and hitting his foot on the side of the man's head. He watched as the man crumbled to the ground, a small patch of red forming on the green hooded cape. All of a sudden he heard the sound of ripping cloth surround him and the gleam of many kagunes hanging above his head, almost waiting in anticipation.

Eren silently sighed and put his thumb over his index finger and brought it down, making a satisfying crack. He smiled to himself as he took off his medical eye patch, revealing a black sclera and a red pupil.

"I really should've listened to Mikasa..."he sighed before his rinkaku ripped through the lower back of his hoodie. 


End file.
